Containers for rotor blades of rotary wing aircraft



y 7, 1955 w. F. GOULD ETAL 2,708,509

CONTAINERS FOR ROTOR BLADES OF ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT Filed June 8, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. WILLIAM F. GOULD STEPHEN BRAIL ATTORNEY.

May 17, 1955 w. F. GOULD ETAL 2,708,509

CONTAINERS FOR ROTOR BLADES OF ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT Filed June 8, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. WILLIAM F. GOULD STEPHEN BRAIL ATTORN EY.

May 17, 1955 w. F. GOULD ETAL 2,708,509

CONTAINERS FOR ROTOR BLADES OF ROTARY WING AIRCRAFT Filed June 8, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS. WILLIAM F. GOULD STEPHEN BRAIL ATTORNEY.

CONTAINERS FOR ROTOR BLADES F ROTARY WING AERCRAFT William F. Gould, Pitman, and Stephen Brail, Oaklyn, N. 3., assignors to Ludwig Honold Manufacturing Company, Folcroft, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 8, 1951, Serial No. 239,542 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-46) This invention relates to containers for rotor blades of rotary wing aircraft, that is to say, to the boxes or the like used for the reception and protection of said rotor blades, and similar articles, during shipment and storage.

Heretofore the containers used for the shipment and storage for the rotor blades of rotary wing aircraft were usually made of wood, of rectangular cross-section, both longitudinally and transversely, but in order to obtain the required rigidity and resistance to bending and torsional distortion, it was necessary to make the containers of considerable weight which made the same diflicult to handle with the equipment ordinarily available.

The principal object of the present invention to is provide a container for the shipment and storage of rotor blades for rotary wing aircraft which will be relatively light, yet of suflicient strength to resist the bending and torsional strains occurring during the handling of the containers with the blades mounted therein.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the character aforesaid which may be easily and conveniently handled by means of the equipment ordinarily available.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the character aforesaid in which the rotor blades may be readily placed and secured with ease and facility.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the character aforesaid which is so constructed and arranged that a plurality of the same may be readily stacked upon each other during shipment and storage.

The nature and characteristic features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the two end portions of a container embodying the main features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, certain of the parts being omitted for clarity of illustration;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken 011 the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

It should, of course, be understood that the description and drawings herein are illustrative merely, and that various modifications and changes may be made in the structure disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, in the particular embodiment of the invention therein shown, the container comprises primarily two semi-circular shells 1t and 11, made of sheet metal, and adapted when brought together to provide a container of cylindrical form for the reception of the rotor blades. The particular form shown is intended for the mounting of three rotor blades therein.

The lowermost shell is provided along its upper edges with stiffening members 12 secured thereto in any preferred manner as, for example, by means of rivets 13, and the upper shell 11, likewise, has along its lowermost edges stiffening members 14 secured thereto by means of rivets 2,768,509 Patented May 17, 1955 2 15. The stiffening members 12 secured to the lower shell 10 may each be provided with a longitudinal recess 16 into which extends a cornplemental portion 17 of the corresponding stifiening member 14 carried by the upper shell 11.

The stiffening members 12 have, located at spaced intervals, swivel bolts 18, pivoted thereto and adapted to extend through recesses 19 provided in the portion 17 of each stiffening member 14 carried at each lower edge of the upper shell 11, and said swivel bolts 18 are provided with nuts 20 which, when the parts are assembled, may be tightened to securely hold the two parts of the container to each other.

Extending from end to end of the lower portion 10 of the container, on each side thereof and toward the bottom is a channel member or runner 21, preferably made of sheet metal, and each having a flat bottom portion 22, vertical portions 23 and 24, and flanges 25 and 26 which are secured to the exterior of the lower part 10 of the container.

Transverse channel beams or vided at desired locations, the same also being made of sheet metal and shaped to provide a fiat bottom portion 28 and vertical upright portions 29 and 30, and flanges 31 which are secured to the under portions of the longitudinal channel members or runners 21.

The transverse foot members 27 serve to maintain the container above the floor, or, when the containers are superposed one upon the other, to separate the same to facilitate the handling of the'same.

The upper portion 11 of the container is also provided with a pair of longitudinally extending channel members or runners 32 secured thereto in a manner similar to that of the channel members 21 carried by the lower part 10 of the container, each of said runners 32 comprising}! horizontal portion 33, vertical portions 34 and 35, and flanges 36 and 37 which are secured to the upper semicircular shell 11 of the container.

Re-inforcing members 40 are located within the shells 10 and 11 at spaced locations, the same being semi-circular in shape to conform to the interior surfaces of the respective shells to which they are attached and to which they are secured by rivets 41. The re-inforcing members 40 have their body portions U-shaped in cross-section with sidewise extending flanges 42 through which the rivets 41 extend.

The upper shell 11 of the container is also provided at suitable locations with bracket members 43 which are secured to the shell 11. These bracket members 43 are preferably located at places corresponding to the places where certain of the internal re-inforcing members 40 are located, and thus may be secured by certain of the rivets 41 which pass through the flanges 42 of said re-inforcing members 40.

The bracket members 43 are each provided with a ring shackle member 44 adapted to be engaged by the hook of the hoisting mechanism (not shown) usually employed for handling devices of this character.

Adjacent the ends of the container, rotor blade supporting devices and 64) are internally mounted. The device 50 at one end of the container is shown more particularly in Fig. 4 of the drawings, and is made of two parts, the lower part 51 of which is secured in the lower shell 10 of the container by means of snubbers 52 secured by bolts 53 to the shell 10.

The lower part 51 of said supporting device 50 comprises a bracket having recesses in the upper portion thereof. One of said recesses 54 is located at the center and is adapted to receive one end of one of the rotor blades, while on each side of said recess 54 there is provided another recess 55 adapted to receive part of the shaft end of another rotor blade.

foot members 27 are pro- The upper part 56 of the rotor blade supporting device 50 is superposed on the lower part 51 and has recesses registering with the recesses in the lower member, one of said recesses 57 for engaging the end of one rotor blade, and on each side thereof a recess 58 for engaging the shaft end of another rotor blade.

The recesses in the lower member 51 of the supporting device 50, as well as those in the upper member 56, are lined with suitable cushions 59 which may be made of sponge rubber or any other similar and suitable material.

The lower part 51 of the supporting device 50 is provided with swivel bolts 70 which are adapted to be moved in and out of recesses 71 in lugs 72 carried by the upper part 56. The swivel bolts 70 are each provided with a thumb-nut 73 whereby the upper part 56 of the supporting device 50 may be secured to the lower part 51 after the rotor blades have been placed within the container.

The upper part 56 of the supporting device 50 is also provided with snubbers 75 which bear against the inner face of the shell 11 and serve to cushion the supporting devices 50.

The supporting device 60 at the other end of the container is shown more particularly in Fig. of the drawings, and is quite similar to the supporting device above described. This supporting device like the other has a lower part 61 comprising a bracket 63 with recesses 64 which, however, are located on each side and are adapted to receive the ends of the body portions of the rotor blades, the shaft end portions of which are supported in the support 50 at the other end of the container, and in this instance a recess 65 is provided in the center for the purpose of receiving the shaft end of the rotor blade, the other end of which is mounted in the recess 54 in the supporting device 50.

The supporting device 60 is also provided with an upper part 66 which is superposed on the lower part 61 having complemental recesses, one of which 67 is provided to engage the shaft end of one of the rotor blades, and the other recesses 63 which are adapted to engage the ends of the operative portions of the other rotor blades.

The recesses of the lower part 61 of the supporting device 60, as well as those in the upper part 66 are lined with suitable cushions 69, which may be made of sponge rubber or other similar and suitable material.

The lower part 61 of the supporting device 60 is likewise provided with swivel bolts '70 which are adapted to be moved in and out of recesses 71 in the lugs 72 carried by the upper part 66. The swivel bolts are each provided with a thumb-nut 73 whereby the upper part 66 of the supporting device 60 may be secured to the lower part 51 after the rotor blades have been placed within the same.

The upper part 66 of the supporting device 60 is also provided with snubbers or cushioning devices 75 which bear against the inner face of the shell 11 and serve to cushion said supporting devices 60.

In order that the rotor blades secured within the container will not become overheated, or otherwise damaged by being confined in a closed container, means for ventilating the container are provided, namely, in the sidewalls of the lowermost shell 10 there are, at spaced locations, a plurality of groups of apertures and on the inside of the shell 10 where such groups of apertures 90 are provided there is provided, at each location, a guard plate 91 secured to the shell 10 having a portion thereof spaced from said shell 10 to provide a passageway 92 with which the apertures 90 are in communication.

In like manner, each end wall 93 of the container is provided with a group of apertures 94 which are also guarded by a spaced plate 95 secured on the inner face of the end wall 93 of the upper shell 11 of the container, but spaced therefrom to provide a passageway 96 in communication with said apertures 94.

The manner of use of the container will now be readily apparent. within the container, the nuts 20 of the swivel bolts 18 are loosened and the swivel bolts 18 swung outwardly whereupon the upper shell 11 may be removed.

The thumb nuts 73 of the swivel bolts 70 are then loosened and the swivel bolts 70 moved out of engagement with the recesses 71 in the lugs 72, whereupon the uppermost portions 51 and 61, respectively, of the supporting members 56 and 60 may then be removed. The rotor blades'may then be inserted in the recesses in their proper positions and relationships.

The upper portions 51 and 61 of the supporting devices 50 and 60, respectively, may then be replaced to engage and confine each of the rotor blades at both ends. The swivel bolts '70 are then repositioned in the recesses 71 of the lugs 72 and the thumb nuts 73 tightened to hold the top portions 51 and 61, respectively, in their proper positions.

The upper shell 11 is then replaced upon the lowermost shell 10 after which the swivel bolts 18 are swung inwardly to engage the recesses 19 in the strengthening members 17 carried by the lower edges of the upper shell 11.

It will be noted that bythe foregoing arrangement there is provided a container, for the shipment and storage of rotor blades of rotary wing aircraft, which is so constructed and arranged as to effectively minimize the likelihood of damage or distortion of the blades during shipment or storage thereof.

We claim:

A container for the shipment and storage of rotor blades and the like comprising a cylinder made of two elongated channel like sheet metal shells semi-circular in cross-section superposed one above the other, and having stitiening flange members extending from end to end along the meeting edges thereof, means for detachably securing said stiffening members to each other, sheet metal runners extending longitudinally from end to end of said shells and fixedly secured thereto to stiffen the shells against longitudinal and torsional stresses and to provide horizontal top and bottom surfaces, transversely extending footing members secured to the under faces of the runners which are secured to the lower shell, stiffening members internally secured at spaced locations to the inner faces of said shells, and internal supporting devices near each end of the container and between certain of said internal stiffening members each comprising a lower member resiliently secured to the lower shell and an upper member resiliently abutting against the interior face of the upper shell, the upper member being separable from the lower member, means accessible only when the upper and lower shells are separated for securing the upper member of said supporting device to the lower member, and the members of said supporting devices having registering recesses adapted to receive portions of the rotor blades.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 659,157 Richards Oct.2, 1900 788,893 Dupuis May 2, 1905 1,063,152 Bauroth May 27, 1913 1,744,824 Callison Ian. 28, 1930 2,161,402 Arutunoff June 6, 1939 2,239,507 Pierce Apr. 22, 1941 2,368,781 Rose Feb. 6, 1945 2,410,323 Wellman Oct. 29, 1946 2,469,156 Cargill May 3, 1949 2,527,541 Gibbs Oct. 31, 1950 2,549,906 Iohansson Apr. 24, 1951 2,611,946 Etten et al Sept. 30, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 850,823 France Sept. 18, 1939 When it is desired to place the rotor blades. 

